SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Nature Water”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources

USGS1956

Reservoirs in the United States

Reservoir storage facilities in the United States play an important part in the national economy. Storage facilities have enabled the country to utilize to a much fuller extent one of the most valuable natural resources: water. During recent years the construction of reservoirs has continued at a high rate. This report shows the status of these facilities on January 1, 1954, and describes briefly some of the reasons for growth of reservoir facilities in the United States. Descriptive data are given for reservoirs having a capacity of 5, 000 acre-feet or more and for natural lakes having a usable capacity of 5,000 acre-feet or more. Included are reservoirs and lakes completed as of January 1, 1954, and reservoirs under construction on that date. The total number of such reservoirs and lakes is 1, 300. A descriptive list of reservoirs in the United States was first published by the United States Geological Survey in March 1948. That report, Geological Survey Circular 23, entitled Reservoirs in the United States, included reservoirs completed as of January 1, 1947. Since January 1, 1947, reservoirs representing a total usable capacity of 115,000,000 acre-feet, or an increase of 71 percent, have been constructed or are under construction. Data about these new reservoirs are presented herein, and the data shown for reservoirs constructed before 1947 have been corrected on the basis of the latest available survey to determine reservoir capacity. The total usable capacity of reservoirs and lakes included in this compilation amounts to 278, 120, 000 acre-feet, and the corresponding surface area totals 11, 046, 000 acres.

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS2008

Infiltration from an impoundment for coal‐bed natural gas, Powder River Basin, Wyoming: Evolution of water and sediment chemistry

Development of coal‐bed natural gas (CBNG) in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, has increased substantially in recent years. Among environmental concerns associated with this development is the fate of groundwater removed with the gas. A preferred water‐management option is storage in surface impoundments. As of January 2007, permits for more than 4000 impoundments had been issued within Wyoming. A study was conducted on changes in water and sediment chemistry as water from an impoundment infiltrated the subsurface. Sediment cores were collected prior to operation of the impoundment and after its closure and reclamation. Suction lysimeters were used to collect water samples from beneath the impoundment. Large amounts of chloride (12,300 kg) and nitrate (13,500 kg as N), most of which accumulated naturally in the sediments over thousands of years, were released into groundwater by infiltrating water. Nitrate was more readily flushed from the sediments than chloride. If sediments at other impoundment locations contain similar amounts of chloride and nitrate, impoundments already permitted could release over 48 × 10 6 kg of chloride and 52 × 10 6 kg of nitrate into groundwater in the basin. A solute plume with total dissolved solid (TDS) concentrations at times exceeding 100,000 mg/L was created in the subsurface. TDS concentrations in the plume were substantially greater than those in the CBNG water (about 2300 mg/L) and in the ambient shallow groundwater (about 8000 mg/L). Sulfate, sodium, and magnesium are the dominant ions in the plume. The elevated concentrations are attributed to cation‐exchange‐enhanced gypsum dissolution. As gypsum dissolves, calcium goes into solution and is exchanged for sodium and magnesium on clays. Removal of calcium from solution allows further gypsum dissolution.

Water Resources Research↗

USGS1981

Shallow ground-water conditions and vegetation classification, central Volusia County, Florida

In the early 1970's, the Volusia County Council recognized the need to develop new sources of freshwater for future growth and development. County Council, using data from the U.S. Geological Survey and private consultants, concluded that the central wetlands were an optimal area for well-field development. With this in mind, Volusia County requested that the State of Florida buy land in the central wetlands of Volusia County under the Land Conservation Act of 1972, hoping to protect both the environmentally endangered lands and a potential water resource. In 1974, the State acquired 7.28mi 2 within this area, and present (1979) plans to acquire and additional 3.33mi 2 . The State later became concerned that wetland protection may not be compatible with development of water resources due to the vegetation changes that might occur if shallow ground-water levels are lowered by producing well field. Consequently, because of mutual interest, the U.S. Geological Survey with the State entered into a program of documenting for future reference the vegetation in the State-owned land. The purposes of this report and associated map (fig. 1) are (1) to document existing vegetation in approximately 140 mi 2 in central Volusia County, and (2) to investigate natural water-level fluctuations in selected vegetative communities to the extent possible with relatively short-term data. The study area (fig. 2) is that part of the Talbot Terrace bounded on the east by Rima Ridge, to the west by De Land Ridge, to the north by State Road 40, and to the south by 28 ° 57'.

Florida↗

USGS1997

Evaluation of selected wells in Pennsylvania's observation-well program as of 1993

In 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey operated 62 observation wells in 60 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources. These wells attempt to monitor an aerial extent of 45,000 square miles and penetrate 39 geologic formations or water-bearing units of 14 physiographic provinces. Some wells were drilled specifically for the observation-well program, some were drilled for other U.S. Geological Survey projects, and some were drilled for other purposes and were no longer used. Approximately 3 percent of the network wells have less than 5 years of record, 5 percent have 5 to 15 years of record, and 92 percent have greater than 15 years of record. The older the observation well, the greater the possibility of water levels being affected by physical deterioration of the borehole. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically conduct a series of physical, chemical, and hydraulic tests to determine changes in the physical condition of the well and local land-use practices that may affect water-level response. Nineteen wells were selected for evaluation on the basis of past questionable water-level responses. These wells were evaluated for functionality by analyzing historical water-level fluctuations, geophysical logs, single-well aquifer tests, and water-quality analyses. These parameters indicated that well Je-23 (Jefferson County) is affected by coal-mine pumpage, well Bt-311 (Butler County) is periodically affected by strip mine activities, well Gr-118 (Greene County) and Mc-110 (McKean County exhibit unexplained fluctuations not desirable for an observation well, and 15 wells show no obvious problems or degradation that would affect their functionality to monitor natural water-level fluctuations.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2002

Determination of nanogram per liter concentrations of volatile organic compounds in water by capillary gas chromatography and selected ion monitoring mass spectrometry and its use to define groundwater flow directions in Edwards Aquifer, Texas

A method has been developed to measure nanogram per liter amounts of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and the isomers of dichlorobenzene in water. The method uses purge-and-trap techniques on a 100 mL sample, gas chromatography with a megabore capillary column, and electron impact, selected ion monitoring mass spectrometry. Minimum detection levels for these compounds ranged from 1 to 4 ng/L in water. Recoveries from organic-free distilled water and natural groundwater ranged from 70.5% for dichlorodifluoromethane to 107.8% for 1,4-dichlorobenzene. Precision was generally best for cis-1,2-dichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and the dichlorobenzene isomers and worst for dichlorodifluoromethane and trichlorofluoromethane. Blank data indicated persistent, trace-level introduction of dichlorodifluoromethane, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and tetrachloroemene to samples during storage and shipment at concentrations less than the method reporting limits. The largest concentrations of the selected VOCs in 27 water samples from the Edwards aquifer near San Antonio, TX, were from confined-zone wells near an abandoned landfill. The results defined a zone of water with no detectable VOCs in nearly all of the aquifer west of San Antonio and from part of the confined zone beneath San Antonio.

Analytical Chemistry↗

USGS1986

Chemical qualities of water that contribute to human health in a positive way

The emphasis on harmful substances that may occur in potable waters has almost obscured the fact that important beneficial constituents are commonly present. The chemical substances in water that make positive contributions to human health act mainly in two ways: (i) nutritionally, by supplying essential macro and micro elements that the diet (excluding water) may not provide in adequate amounts (for example, Mg, I and Zn); and (ii) by providing macro and micro elements that inhibit the absorption and/or effects of toxic elements such as Hg, Pb and Cd. Specific examples of these beneficial effects will be given, also examples of harmful effects on health that may result from excessive intake of these ordinarily beneficial elements. Because concentrations of the essential macro and micro elements that occur in natural, potable waters vary greatly, depending upon their source, geographic considerations are very important in any studies attempting to relate water quality to health. In this context, the inverse relationship between hard water and cardiovascular disease will be discussed. Specific data relating hardness and Mg and Ca content of potable waters to specific geographic regions of the U.S.A. will be presented. These data show a strong positive correlation between low Mg content and decreased longevity, and between high Ca and Mg content and increased longevity. In the regions considered, increased longevity correlates strongly with decreased cardiovascular mortality, and the decreased longevity with increased cardiovascular mortality.

Science of Total Environment↗

USGS1997

Environmental geochemistry of shale-hosted Ag-Pb-Zn massive sulfide deposits in northwest Alaska: Natural background concentrations of metals in water from mineralized areas

Red Dog, Lik and Drenchwater are shale-hosted stratiform Ag-Pb-Zn massive sulfide deposits in the northwestern Brooks Range. Natural background concentrations of metals in waters from the undisturbed (unmined) Drenchwater prospect and Lik deposit were compared to pre-mining baseline studies conducted at Red Dog. The primary factors affecting water chemistry are the extent of exposure of the deposits, the grade of mineralization, the presence of carbonate reeks in the section, and the proportion of Fe-sulfide in the ore. Surface water samples from the Drenchwater prospect, which has pyrite-dominant mineralization exposed in outcrop, have pH values as low as 2.8 and high dissolved concentrations of metals including as much as 95 mg 1-1 Al, 270 mg 1-1 Fe, 8 ??1-1 Cd, 10 ??1-1 Pb, and 2600 ??1-1 Zn, with As up to 26 ??g1-1. Surface waters from the Red Dog deposit prior to mining were also acidic and metal-rich, however, dissolved metal concentrations in Red Dog waters were many times greater. The higher metal concentrations in Red Dog waters reflect the high Zn grades and the abundant sphalerite, pyrite, and galena that were present in outcrop prior to mining. In contrast, despite significant mineralization at the Lik deposit, carbonate rocks in the section buffer the system, resulting in less acidic, mostly near-neutral pH values with low concentrations of most metals except Zn.

Applied Geochemistry↗

USGS2009

Potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity, Florida, May 2009

This map depicts the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the St. Johns River Water Management District and vicinity for May 2009. Potentiometric contours are based on water-level measurements collected at 625 wells during the period May 14 - May 29, near the end of the dry season. Some contours are inferred from previous potentiometric-surface maps with larger well networks. The potentiometric surface of the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer responds mainly to rainfall, and more locally, to groundwater withdrawals and spring flow. Potentiometric-surface highs generally correspond to topographic highs where the aquifer is recharged. Springs and areas of diffuse upward leakage naturally discharge water from the aquifer and are most prevalent along the St. Johns River. Areas of discharge are reflected by depressions in the potentiometric surface. Groundwater withdrawals locally have lowered the potentiometric surface. Groundwater in the Upper Floridan aquifer generally flows from potentiometric highs to potentiometric lows in a direction perpendicular to the contours.

Florida↗

USGS2008

A comparison of winter mercury accumulation at forested and no-canopy sites measured with different snow sampling techniques

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) is delivered to ecosystems via rain, snow, cloud/fog, and dry deposition. The importance of snow, especially snow that has passed through the forest canopy (throughfall), in delivering Hg to terrestrial ecosystems has received little attention in the literature. The snowpack is a dynamic system that links atmospheric deposition and ecosystem cycling through deposition and emission of deposited Hg. To examine the magnitude of Hg delivery via snowfall, and to illuminate processes affecting Hg flux to catchments during winter (cold season), Hg in snow in no-canopy areas and under forest canopies measured with four collection methods were compared: (1) Hg in wet precipitation as measured by the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) for the site in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA, (2) event throughfall (collected after snowfall cessation for accumulations of >8 cm), (3) season-long throughfall collected using the same apparatus for event sampling but deployed for the entire cold season, and (4) snowpack sampling. Estimates (mean ± SE) of Hg deposition using these methods during the 91-day cold season in 2004–2005 at conifer sites showed that season-long throughfall Hg flux (1.80 μg/m 2 ) < snowpack Hg (2.38 ± 0.68 μg/m 2 ) < event throughfall flux (5.63 ± 0.38 μg/m 2 ). Mercury deposition at the MDN site (0.91 μg/m 2 ) was similar to that measured at other no-canopy sites in the area using the other methods, but was 3.4 times less than was measured under conifer canopies using the event sampling regime. This indicates that snow accumulated under the forest canopy received Hg from the overstory or exhibited less re-emission of Hg deposited in snow relative to open areas. The soil surface of field-scale plots were sprayed with a natural rain water sample that contained an Hg tracer ( 202 Hg) just prior to the first snowfall to explore whether some snowpack Hg might be explained from soil emissions. The appearance of the 202 Hg tracer in the snowpack (0–64% of the total Hg mass in the snowpack) suggests that movement of Hg from the soil into the snowpack is possible. However, as with any tracer study the 202 Hg tracer may not precisely represent the reactivity and mobility of natural Hg in soils.

Applied Geochemistry↗

USGS2017

Groundwater resources of the Devils Postpile National Monument—Current conditions and future vulnerabilities

This study presents an extensive database on groundwater conditions in and around Devils Postpile National Monument. The database contains chemical analyses of springs and the monument water-supply well, including major-ion chemistry, trace element chemistry, and the first information on a list of organic compounds known as emerging contaminants. Diurnal, seasonal, and annual variations in groundwater discharge and chemistry are evaluated from data collected at five main monitoring sites, where streams carry the aggregate flow from entire groups of springs. These springs drain the Mammoth Mountain area and, during the fall months, contribute a significant fraction of the San Joaquin River flow within the monument. The period of this study, from fall 2012 to fall 2015, includes some of the driest years on record, though the seasonal variability observed in 2013 might have been near normal. The spring-fed streams generally flowed at rates well below those observed during a sequence of wet years in the late 1990s. However, persistence of flow and reasonably stable water chemistry through the recent dry years are indicative of a sizeable groundwater system that should provide a reliable resource during similar droughts in the future. Only a few emerging contaminants were detected at trace levels below 1 microgram per liter (μg/L), suggesting that local human visitation is not degrading groundwater quality. No indication of salt from the ski area on the north side of Mammoth Mountain could be found in any of the groundwaters. Chemical data instead show that natural mineral water, such as that discharged from local soda springs, is the main source of anomalous chloride in the monument supply well and in the San Joaquin River. The results of the study are used to develop a set of recommendations for future monitoring to enable detection of deleterious impacts to groundwater quality and quantity

California↗

USGS2007

Formation of mixed Al-Fe colloidal sorbent and dissolved-colloidal partitioning of Cu and Zn in the Cement Creek - Animas River Confluence, Silverton, Colorado

Transport and chemical transformations of dissolved and colloidal Al, Fe, Cu and Zn were studied by detailed sampling in the mixing zone downstream from the confluence of Cement Creek (pH 4.1) with the Animas River (pH 7.6). Complete mixing resulted in circumneutral pH in the downstream reach of the 1300 m study area. All four metals were transported through this mixing zone without significant losses to the streambed, and they exhibited transformations from dissolved to colloidal forms to varying degrees during the mixing process. Nearly all of the Al formed colloidal hydrous Al oxides (HAO) as pH increased (4.8–6.5), whereas colloidal hydrous Fe oxides (HFO) were supplied by Cement Creek as well as formed in the mixing zone primarily at higher pH (>6.5). The short travel time through the mixing zone (approx. 40 min) and pH limited the formation of HFO from dissolved Fe 2+ supplied by Cement Creek. Although the proportions of HAO and HFO varied as the streams mixed, the colloidal sorbent typically was enriched in HAO relative to HFO by a factor of 1.5–2.1 (by mole) in the pH range where dissolved-to-colloidal partitioning of Cu and Zn was observed. Model simulations of sorption by HFO (alone) greatly underestimated the dissolved-to-colloidal partitioning of Zn. Previous studies have shown that HAO–HFO mixtures can sorb greater amounts of Zn than HFO alone, but the high Zn-to-sorbent ratio in this mixing zone could also account for greater partitioning. In contrast to Zn, comparisons with model simulations did not show that Cu sorption was greater than that for HFO alone, and also indicated that sorption was possibly less than what would be expected for a non-interactive mixture of these two sorbents. These field results for Cu, however, might be influenced by (organic) complexation or other factors in this natural system. Laboratory mixing experiments using natural source waters (upstream of the confluence) showed that the presence of HFO in the mixed sorbent resulted in greater Cu partitioning than for HAO alone, and that the effect was greater with increasing (mole fraction) HFO. This was consistent with field results that showed greater Cu sorption when additional HFO was formed in the downstream reach of the mixing zone. Further research is needed to identify the significance of surface-related mechanisms specific to HAO–HFO mixtures that could affect the partitioning of Cu in natural systems.

Colorado↗

USGS2006

Cadmium risks to freshwater life: derivation and validation of low-effect criteria values using laboratory and field studies

In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated aquatic life criteria for cadmium. Since then, additional data on the effects of cadmium to aquatic life have become available from studies supported by the EPA, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ), and the U.S. Geological Survey, among other sources. Updated data on the effects of cadmium to aquatic life were compiled and reviewed and low-effect concentrations were estimated. Low-effect values were calculated using EPA's guidelines for deriving numerical national water-quality criteria for the protection of aquatic organisms and their uses. Data on the short-term (acute) effects of cadmium on North American freshwater species that were suitable for criteria derivation were located for 69 species representing 57 genera and 33 families. For longer-term (chronic) effects of cadmium on North American freshwater species, suitable data were located for 28 species representing 21 genera and 17 families. Both the acute and chronic toxicity of cadmium were dependent on the hardness of the test water. Hardness-toxicity regressions were developed for both acute and chronic datasets so that effects data from different tests could be adjusted to a common water hardness. Hardness-adjusted effects values were pooled to obtain species and genus mean acute and chronic values, which then were ranked by their sensitivity to cadmium. The four most sensitive genera to acute exposures were, in order of increasing cadmium resistance, Oncorhynchus (Pacific trout and salmon), Salvelinus ('char' trout), Salmo (Atlantic trout and salmon), and Cottus (sculpin). The four most sensitive genera to chronic exposures were Hyalella (amphipod), Cottus, Gammarus (amphipod), and Salvelinus. Using the updated datasets, hardness dependent criteria equations were calculated for acute and chronic exposures to cadmium. At a hardness of 50 mg/L as calcium carbonate, the criterion maximum concentration (CMC, or 'acute' criterion) was calculated as 0.75 mug/L cadmium using the hardness-dependent equation CMC = e(0.8403 ? ln(hardness)-3.572) where the 'ln hardness' is the natural logarithm of the water hardness. Likewise, the criterion continuous concentration (CCC, or 'chronic' criterion) was calculated as 0.37 mug/L cadmium using the hardness-dependent equation CCC = (e(0.6247 ? ln(hardness)-3.384)) ? (1.101672 - ((ln hardness) ? 0.041838))). Using data that were independent of those used to derive the criteria, the criteria concentrations were evaluated to estimate whether adverse effects were expected to the biological integrity of natural waters or to selected species listed as threatened or endangered. One species was identified that would not be fully protected by the derived CCC, the amphipod Hyalella azteca. Exposure to CCC conditions likely would lead to population decreases in Hyalella azteca, the food web consequences of which probably would be slight if macroinvertebrate communities were otherwise diverse. Some data also suggested adverse behavioral changes are possible in fish following long-term exposures to low levels of cadmium, particularly in char (genus Salvelinus). Although ambiguous, these data indicate a need to periodically review the literature on behavioral changes in fish following metals exposure as more information becomes available. Most data reviewed indicated that criteria conditions were unlikely to contribute to overt adverse effects to either biological integrity or listed species. If elevated cadmium concentrations that approach the chronic criterion values occur in ambient waters, careful biological monitoring of invertebrate and fish assemblages would be prudent to validate the prediction that the assemblages would not be adversely affected by cadmium at criterion concentrations.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2019

Rapid pre-concentration of mercury in solids and water for isotopic analysis

The precise quantification of mercury (Hg) stable isotope compositions in low concentration or dilute samples poses analytical challenges due to Hg mass limitations. Common Hg pre-concentration procedures require extended processing times, making rapid Hg stable isotope measurements challenging. Here we present a modified pre-concentration method that combines commonly used Hg reduction and gold trap amalgamation followed by semi-rapid thermal desorption (less than 1 h) and chemical trapping. This custom designed system was demonstrated to perform adequately on multiple trapping matrices including a new bromine monochloride (BrCl) wet oxidant trap (40% 3HNO 3 :BrCl), capable of trapping consistently in 2 mL volume over a wide range of Hg masses (5–200 ng). The procedure was also shown to work effectively on natural matrices, waters and sediments, producing comparable isotope results to the direct digestion analyses. Here, we present a method that can effectively triple sample throughput in comparison to traditional procedures, and also access lower concentration matrices without compromising the accuracy or precision of Hg isotope measurements.

Analytica Chimica Acta↗

USGS2021

Is there enough water? How bearish and bullish outlooks are linked to decision-maker perspectives on environmental flows

Policies that mandate environmental flows (e-flows) can be powerful tools for freshwater conservation, but implementation of these policies faces many hurdles. To better understand these challenges, we explored two key questions: (1) What additional data are needed to implement e-flows? and (2) What are the major socio-political barriers to implementing e-flows? We surveyed water and natural resource decision makers in the semi-arid Red River basin, Texas-Oklahoma, USA, and used social network analysis to analyze their communication patterns. Most respondents agreed that e-flows can provide important benefits and identified the same data needs. However, respondents sharply in their beliefs on other issues, and a clustering analysis revealed two distinct groups of decision makers. One cluster of decision makers tended to be bearish, or pessimistic, and believed that: current flow conditions are not adequate, there are many serious socio-political barriers to implementation, water conflicts will likely increase in the future, and climate change is likely to exacerbate these issues. The other cluster of respondents was bullish, or optimistic: they foresaw fewer future water conflicts and fewer socio-political barriers to implementation. Despite these differences, both clusters largely identified the same data needs and barriers to e-flows implementation. Our social network analysis revealed that the frequency of communication between clusters was not significantly different than the frequency of communication within clusters. Overall, our results suggest that the different perspectives of decision-makers could complicate efforts to implement e-flows and proactively plan for climate change. However, there are opportunities for collaboration on addressing common data needs and barriers to implementation. Overall, our study provides a key socio-environmental perspective on e-flows implementation from a semi-arid and socio-politically complex river basin and contextualizes the many challenges facing e-flows implementation in river basins globally.

Journal of Environmental Management↗

USGS2009

An empirical method for estimating instream pre-mining pH and dissolved Cu concentration in catchments with acidic drainage and ferricrete

Methods for assessing natural background water quality of streams affected by historical mining are vigorously debated. An empirical method is proposed in which stream-specific estimation equations are generated from relationships between either pH or dissolved Cu concentration in stream water and the Fe/Cu concentration ratio in Fe-precipitates presently forming in the stream. The equations and Fe/Cu ratios for pre-mining deposits of alluvial ferricrete then were used to reconstruct estimated pre-mining longitudinal profiles for pH and dissolved Cu in three acidic streams in Montana, USA. Primary assumptions underlying the proposed method are that alluvial ferricretes and modern Fe-precipitates share a common origin, that the Cu content of Fe-precipitates remains constant during and after conversion to ferricrete, and that geochemical factors other than pH and dissolved Cu concentration play a lesser role in determining Fe/Cu ratios in Fe-precipitates. The method was evaluated by applying it in a fourth, naturally acidic stream unaffected by mining, where estimated pre-mining pH and Cu concentrations were similar to present-day values, and by demonstrating that inflows, particularly from unmined areas, had consistent effects on both the pre-mining and measured profiles of pH and Cu concentration. Using this method, it was estimated that mining has affected about 480 m of Daisy Creek, 1.8 km of Fisher Creek, and at least 1 km of Swift Gulch. Mean values of pH decreased by about 0.6 pH units to about 3.2 in Daisy Creek and by 1-1.5 pH units to about 3.5 in Fisher Creek. In Swift Gulch, mining appears to have decreased pH from about 5.5 to as low as 3.6. Dissolved Cu concentrations increased due to mining almost 40% in Daisy Creek to a mean of 11.7 mg/L and as much as 230% in Fisher Creek to 0.690 mg/L. Uncertainty in the fate of Cu during the conversion of Fe-precipitates to ferricrete translates to potential errors in pre-mining estimates of as much as 0.25 units for pH and 22% for dissolved Cu concentration. The method warrants further testing in other mined and unmined watersheds. Comparison of pre-mining water-quality estimates derived from the ferricrete and other methods in single watersheds would be particularly valuable. The method has potential for use in monitoring remedial efforts at mine sites with ferricrete deposits. A reasonable remediation objective might be realized when the downstream pattern of Fe/Cu ratios in modern streambed Fe-precipitates corresponds to the pattern in pre-mining alluvial ferricrete deposits along a stream valley.

Applied Geochemistry↗

USGS2024

Assessing the accuracy of OpenET satellite-based evapotranspiration data to support water resource and land management applications

Remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) data offer strong potential to support data-driven approaches for sustainable water management. However, practitioners require robust and rigorous accuracy assessments of such data. The OpenET system, which includes an ensemble of six remote sensing models, was developed to increase access to field-scale (30 m) ET data for the contiguous United States. Here we compare OpenET outputs against data from 152 in situ stations, primarily eddy covariance flux towers, deployed across the contiguous United States. Mean absolute error at cropland sites for the OpenET ensemble value is 15.8 mm per month (17% of mean observed ET), mean bias error is −5.3 mm per month (6%) and r 2 is 0.9. Results for shrublands and forested sites show higher inter-model variability and lower accuracy relative to croplands. High accuracy and multi-model convergence across croplands demonstrate the utility of a model ensemble approach, and enhance confidence among ET data practitioners, including the agricultural water resource management community.

Nature Water↗

USGS2011

Geochemical analysis of Atlantic rim water, Carbon County, Wyoming: New applications for characterizing coalbed natural gas reservoirs

Coalbed natural gas (CBNG) production typically requires the extraction of large volumes of water from target formations, thereby influencing any associated reservoir systems. We describe isotopic tracers that provide immediate data on the presence or absence of biogenic natural gas and the identify methane-containing reservoirs are hydrologically confined. Isotopes of dissolved inorganic carbon and strontium, along with water quality data, were used to characterize the CBNG reservoirs and hydrogeologic systems of Wyoming’s Atlantic Rim. Water was analyzed from a stream, springs, and CBNG wells. Strontium isotopic composition and major ion geochemistry identify two groups of surface water samples. Muddy Creek and Mesaverde Group spring samples are Ca-Mg-SO4–type water with higher 87Sr/86Sr, reflecting relatively young groundwater recharged from precipitation in the Sierra Madre. Groundwaters emitted from the Lewis Shale springs are Na-HCO3–type waters with lower 87Sr/86Sr, reflecting sulfate reduction and more extensive water-rock interaction. To distinguish coalbed waters, methanogenically enriched d13CDIC was used from other natural waters. Enriched d13CDIC, between −3.6 and +13.3‰, identified spring water that likely originates from Mesaverde coalbed reservoirs. Strongly positive d13CDIC, between +12.6 and +22.8‰, identified those coalbed reservoirs that are confined, whereas lower d13CDIC, between +0.0 and +9.9‰, identified wells within unconfined reservoir systems

Wyoming↗

USGS1994

Characteristics of streams and aquifers and processes affecting the salinity of water in the upper Colorado River basin, Texas

The upper Colorado River and some of its tributaries between Lake J.B. Thomas and O.H. Ivie Reservoir contain saline water (defined as water having dissolved-solids concentrations greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter). Dissolved-solids loads at nine streamflow water-quality stations increased from 1986 to 1988. The largest increases were in Beals Creek and in the Colorado River downstream from Beals Creek as a result of outflow of saline water from Natural Dam Salt Lake. The outflow contained 654,000 tons of dissolved solids and had a mean dissolved-solids concentration of 7,900 milligrams per liter. This amount represents about 51 percent of the dissolved-solids load to E.V. Spence Reservoir during 1986-88. The concentration of dissolved solids in streamflow in the upper Colorado River, however, generally decreased in the downstream direction as flows increased in all reaches of the river and its tributaries. Diversion of low flows at a site on the Colorado River upstream from the E.V. Spence and O.H. Ivie Reservoirs decreased the dissolved-solids concentrations of inflow to the reservoirs by about 7 percent while removing only about 3 percent of the total flow. The estimated dissolved-solids concentration exceeded 1,000 milligrams per liter for water from about 233 of 386 wells and springs for which specific conductance was measured in 1986. The mean value of the estimated dissolved-solids concentration for water from the 386 wells and springs was about 1,750 milligrams per liter. Some of the dissolved-solids content of streamflow and shallow-aquifer water was attributed to evapotranspiration in areas where water was close to land surface, in irrigated areas, and along streams. The evapotranspiration was largely from phreatophytes and was comparable to the mean streamflow from the study area during 1969- 86. However, evapotranspiration was not considered to have an effect on the salinity of water in shallow aquifers on a regional scale. Dissolution of sulfur-bearing minerals such as gypsum and pyrite in shallow aquifers contributed to salinity because of their presence in soil and shallowaquifer formations. Mixing with brine associated with oil and gas production is a major process affecting the salinity of streamflow and shallow-aquifer water. Brines can move upward through the more than 20,000 abandoned oil- and gas-related boreholes, most of which were abandoned prior to current requirements for casing, cementing, and plugging. Leakage from pits, disposal wells, and secondary-recovery wells, which have been used to dispose of brine, a by-product of oil and gas production, also contributed to dissolved solids in streamflow and shallow-aquifer water. The ratio of brine production to oil production in the seven major oil-producing counties increased from 0.60 to 6.5 between 1957 and 1983. About 359 million barrels of brine were injected into oil-producing formations through secondary-recovery wells in 1983, compared to 11 million barrels through disposal wells. The chemical characteristics of the saline water in streams and shallow aquifers in the study area were compared to characteristics of water that would result from the probable processes affecting the salinity of water, such as evapotranspiration, mineral dissolution, and mixing of water from streams and shallow-aquifer water with brines from deep aquifers. Dissolution of halite or mixing with deep-aquifer water was the most common cause of increased salinity in 48.0 percent of 77 water samples from shallow aquifers, as classified using salt-norm analysis; the second most common cause was the weathering and dissolution of sulfur-bearing minerals. Mixing with water from soil-mineral dissolution was classified as the principal source of chloride in 28.4 percent of 67 water samples from shallow aquifers with nitrate determinations. Trace-species/chloride ratios indicated that mixing with water from deep aquifers in rocks of the Pennsylvanian System was the principal source of chloride in 24.4 percent of 45 shallow-aquifer samples lacking nitrate determinations.

Texas↗